lifeasmission
exploring the mystery of life and mission as one and the same
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Archive for November, 2011
Tweets for the Week : 2011-11-28
- from the lifeasmission archives: The Digital Story of the Nativity http://t.co/7V8FYv8F #FB #
- With iDisk on its way out, I think I'll be using Sugar Sync. Check it! http://t.co/6LDpRamy #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Midwest Missionary:Update http://t.co/p4PqmqcV #FB #
- Chicago film tour & lunch @ the Grand Lux Cafe w/ some beautiful Rozko ladies. #FB http://t.co/3RduAYK0 #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Quite the Day http://t.co/uxuBV3Fj #FB #
- Imagine if the main skill-set req. of church leaders was that of cultivating a family, not captivating an audience. #everythingchanges #FB #
- Safe to say that this door doesn't quite do its job. #FB http://t.co/5mHlv5Zj #
- No surprise. This is the logic of Black Friday. http://t.co/2KLP1grL #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Mini-Worlds http://t.co/wV9gABiV #FB #
- Do yourself a favor & marry into a family who rolls w/ this for Thanksgiving http://t.co/QijH9MSH #
- The kind of existence Sweet Potatoes dream of http://t.co/qNcCoit7 #
- Family Thanksgiving @ The Salvation Army Oakbrook Terrace Corps http://t.co/AYrUVNj3 #
- from the lifeasmission archives: A Living Theology http://t.co/8pqHTSMa #FB #
- Theo. Edu should be longer, community-based, employ dif. learning environ's, & led by missionary theologians, http://t.co/H6OUnLCz. #FB Yes? #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Celebrating Marriage with Marriage http://t.co/qAx6BoHf #FB #
- So my dad comes back from Italy, Aubrey gets an Armani bib & I get monogrammed toilet paper
#lifeaftergrandkids #FB http://t.co/5RWRUhTn # - My attempt to leverage @emergingmummy's excellent post to poke the hornets nest that is complimentarianism, http://t.co/onmd1JXn #FB #
- Great article by @kurtfredrickson over @Patheos. Resourcing the Whole Church: A New Vision for Theo. Edu., http://t.co/wmSEMod1 #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: The Theology of Linkin Park http://t.co/Rb07fro1 #FB #
- Out of pocket for a week, came back to @nseminary w/ a new office & new title
Good things happening here. http://t.co/8Bthl8Cw #
The Missiological Future of Theological Education – Training Reflective Practitioners
The post below (edited slightly) was offered as the 2nd in a series of 4 articles on the “Future of the Seminary” forum over at Patheos (1st article here). If you haven’t already seen it, this video will give you a good introduction to the basis for the perspective being offered.
Based on this perspective, we suggest that the task before us is to identify educational principles guided by a theological vision of the missio Dei as it relates to both the gospel and the Church that can give shape and substance to processes of theological formation that are able to help students develop Kingdom-oriented character and competency.
We will explore two additional missiological principles that we believe ought to guide this vision of theological education in forthcoming posts, but here we would like to suggest that a vision of theological education that is guided and shaped by a missional vision of God, the Gospel, and the Church will be praxeological – given to the training of reflective practitioners. While other changes are surely called for, we suggest that theological formation that is praxeological calls for elongated programs, training by missionary theologians, diversified learning environments, a high degree of attention to contextualization, and an emphasis on creating learning communities.
Elongated Programs of Theological Formation
Whereas many seminaries seem to be spending their energy trying to find ways to help students achieve degrees more quickly, a praxeological orientation calls for more integrated, and therefore elongated, programs. Obviously an elongated program delays the conferral of a degree, but under the vision of theological education suggested here, the idea isn’t getting a degree so that you can begin to do ministry, but beginning to do ministry so that you are rooted in the proper context for theological education and formation in the first place. If the end goal is not the conferral of a degree but actually becoming a certain kind of person, there simply are no shortcuts to be taken.
Training by Missionary Theologians
A praxeological orientation toward theological education will require a faculty composed not mainly of traditional academic scholars, but of missionary theologians – those whose ability to guide and shape others flows from their own praxeological formation. Again, we are not suggesting that scholarship does not have its place; we are simply saying that the right kind of scholarship will always be driven by and focused on its implications for the life and ministry of the Church. As Karl Barth has famously said,
There would be no theology if there were no ministry specially committed to the witness of the word… If we abstract its origin in the ministry of the community, all its problems are either irrelevant or they lose their theological character… (CD 4.3.2, 879)
Thus, we are compelled to ask whether or not those who are trained and formed by traditional PhD programs are the best candidates for the kind of mentors/teachers needed to equip those who embrace this vision of theological education.
Diversified Learning Environments
Learning theory suggests there are three ways we learn: the passing on of information, apprenticeship to learn certain skill-sets, and immersion. The best learning experience occurs when there is a dynamic interplay between all three. Driven by Christendom presuppositions, our current systems of theological education are designed to do the first, pass on information, but give no real attention to issues of apprenticeship or immersion experiences. A praxeological orientation to theological education will require that our seminaries create all three kinds of learning environments for their students. The issue here isn’t merely the lack of second and third environments, but the fact that that apart from them, the relevance of time spent in the first environment loses the impact it ought to have.
Issues of Contextualization
Ministry never occurs in a vacuum. Students don’t just need to learn what to apply to their ministry context, which under the current paradigm of theological education they may not even have; they need to learn how to apply it to their ministry context, which we are suggesting as a prerequisite. This implies not only the need for missiologically-driven advances in models of distributed learning, but calls for a greatly enhanced focus on the part of instructors and the designing of programs with regard to the application of theological learning to specific ministry contexts.*
*Living into this sort of vision will mean that increasingly, centers of theological education will see having a ministry context as a prerequisite for admission into its programs. In addition, this value should compel centers of theological education to put significant amounts of time and resources into establishing truly meaningful relationships and partnerships with local churches and ministry organizations in which students who don’t have their own ministry context might not just do occasional internships, but root the entirely of their educational process.
Learning Communities
A core component of a praxeological orientation to theological education is the importance of learning in community. Whereas we wholeheartedly agree that there is a unique and important place for those regarded as experts in their field who can offer their wisdom, experience, and insight as they guide students in their formation as Kingdom leaders, there is an equally important and formative dimension to theological education that is rooted within a community of learning. In line with the realities of Kingdom ministry, which always call for a collaborative approach to tasks and problems, seminary students should increasingly develop a capacity to embody an open and discerning posture towards the insights and critiques of their peers. Flying in the face of traditional assessment criteria that are nearly exclusively predicated on one’s individual academic performance, a core component of assessing the formation of Kingdom leaders will have to do with their posture toward and interaction with others in a learning community.*
*We suggest that where theological schools continue to offer residential options, they will do well to structure them around a more monastic model where students come to be immersed in an integrated program of sharing life, resources, learning experiences, and diversified endeavors in ministry and mission.
At the heart of the particular suggestion is the simple observation that, “this is how Jesus did it” – calling disciples to him “that they might be with him and that he might send them out…” (Mark 3:14)
Read the full white paper, The Missiological Future of Theological Education, here and join in the conversation below and over at thefutureoftheologicaleducation.com.
Tweets for the Week : 2011-11-21
- from the lifeasmission archives: Fall in the Dena http://t.co/5CTXR5yb #FB #
- One last Pawleys Is. run to pray & process a week of meetings b4 flying home to my girls – Aubrey & @amyrozko. So excited to see them! #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Emotional Culture http://t.co/Alek8bp8 #FB #
- Another morning of the good stuff! Makes me miss my good friend @gibgibson. http://t.co/HxWk6gWb #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Preaching and Dialogue: Friendship Found http://t.co/R4j4WShQ #FB #
- Aeropress coffee for these @weare3dm meetings courtesy of Mr. @bensternke http://t.co/RRzQVLxg #
- from the lifeasmission archives: How Do You Make Decisions? http://t.co/n1mRuSis #FB #
- Praying for the work God is calling these leaders to @ the conclusion of a @weare3dm Learning Community. http://t.co/NhT2XC75 #
- from the lifeasmission archives: A Memorial Week at Home http://t.co/zBqo19DF #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Missional Communities http://t.co/7rgHw9Zq #FB #
- shared: The Key to Recognizing a Person of Peace http://t.co/brmO7R3V #
- This is how the @weare3dm boys, esp. @dougpaul81, get down during the house parties. http://t.co/DBh5y3q0 #
- 2nd day of the @weare3dm Learning Community. Talking about Leadership Pipelines. Most churches din't have one! #FB http://t.co/uKwtvHpB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Great Book http://t.co/jPgCpbOT #FB #
Tweets for the Week : 2011-11-14
- Morning run & conversations w/ God about what he's up to in the world & in my life on the Isle of Palms. #FB http://t.co/oFPPQtpQ #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Fuller and the Emerging Church http://t.co/cwKWWUCO #FB #
- Went for a run in @ElginIL this AM. Will have lunch in ATL, peek @ the Atlantic ocean this afternoon & go to bed in Charleston, SC. #FB #wow #
- Reading @jonestony's new book on my phone as I make my way through security @ O'Hare. #FB http://t.co/WPI91Ymn #
- Is it our own insecurity & fear that compels us to seek to "win" ppl. to Christ through guilt? #?'swhilerunning #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: New England & Boston Trip http://t.co/kpKnZu7a #FB #
- Celebrating the birthdays of our good friends Michael & Mark Novelli #FB http://t.co/CzaeWm4f #
- Peaceful. @ Taqueria Los Cocos http://t.co/nE843et8 #
- from the lifeasmission archives: I Love My Dad Because He Sends Me Stuff Like This! http://t.co/Rp6ARi38 #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Why I Love Fuller http://t.co/Cj95vH7U #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Missional Church and the Future of Theological Education: Follow Up http://t.co/j5vi6bWO #FB #
- K, I'm a total sap, but I can't stop watching this video of my little girl. #FB http://t.co/RLof0sfX #
- from the lifeasmission archives: A Subtle Legalism http://t.co/9oGRpHQo #FB #
- shared: Monday Morning Medicine http://t.co/yo3TCtYw #
- shared: Shane Claiborne: A Devotion for Wall Street http://t.co/VOdL3civ #
- Realizing as I read Klaassen that I've already outlived a solid number of the founding leaders of Anabaptism. #newvisionfor20somethings #FB #
- The alternative 2 arbitrary individualism isn't established authority but an authority in which the individual participates & consents. -JHY #
The Missiological Future of Theological Education – Introduction
It’s been a few weeks since I posted about the groundswell of conversation that seemed to be happening around the topic of the state and future of theological education. Since then, a lot has happened.
1) I joined Doug Paul and Mike Breen of 3DM in hosting a forum on this topic at Northern Seminary.
2) We’ve launched a website that is hosting the white paper and video we produced as contributions to the conversation.
3) A number of people have begin conversations in the discussion forums on that site.
4) Dr. Craig Blomberg, Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, offered a response to the paper that is posted on the resource blog
5) A slew of new posts, including the 1st of 4 from our perspective, have appeared in the online forum over at Patheos.
6) And we have received a couple dozen emails from people who are asking everything from, “Can you keep me informed on how this goes forward?” to “Can you come and help lead a discussion on this in our context?” Which we are more than excited to do! (inquire here).
I am actually quite a bit more interested in driving traffic over to thefutureoftheologicaleducation.com as a place where we can try and centralize some conversation and garner insight from as broad a population as possible, but just to generate some interest, I thought I would try and peak your interest with a few words from the introduction of the paper and the video that goes along with the initiative…
The American Church finds itself in a precarious position. Based on current statistics, each year 2.7 million people cease to be part of a local church community and 4000 churches close their doors. Beyond this, 85 percent of all our churches are classified as stagnant and dying…
…while we wholeheartedly agree that we are indeed in the midst of a cultural earthquake, we believe that these statistics are better read as symptoms of a deeper problem. Rather than working toward solutions aimed at helping the Church maintain or regain its position of power and privilege at the center of society, our contention is that a more faithful posture, in the midst of this cultural earthquake, is pausing to ask what God is saying and doing and how God is calling us to respond?
The missiological crisis of Christendom not only affected the Church, but also bore corresponding implications for seminaries and indeed our systems of theological education in general. As such, we believe that a massive re-imagining of the nature, purpose, and practice of theological education is in order. Simply put, the guiding thesis of this paper is that to the extent that our current systems of theological education have been shaped by Christendom presuppositions, they have lost their missiological bearings and are wholly inadequate to prepare Kingdom leaders. Incremental changes and clever adaptations to these current systems only serve to distract from the opportunity we have before us to develop a Kingdom, and therefore missional, vision of theological education. At the heart of this vision is the conviction that the proper telos of theological education is an “accreditation” of students based not merely on the degrees they earn, but on the development and fit of their character and competency for life and leadership in the Kingdom of God.
And here’s the video… Hope to follow up in coming weeks with other blurbs from the paper.
Tweets for the Week : 2011-11-07
- from the lifeasmission archives: Ten Things You Should Not Expect From Missional Churches http://t.co/GUJcmEc8 #FB #
- Made it 2 the gate @ 5:50 for a 6AM flight. No dice. Timely cab ride (or a functional TSA) would've made the difference. 5 hr. wait now. #FB #
- Um…. Crap. This could be bad. #longestsecuritylineever #FB http://t.co/gnwxYmpo #
- 1st cab to O'Hare didn't show up. 2nd wasn't sure how to get to 90. Shaping up to be an interesting trip & it's not even 5AM yet! #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Where Do You See Beauty? http://t.co/JR7Tz4ex #FB #
- 20 weeks & my daughter is totally hi-5ing me on command. Ata girl! #FB http://t.co/8f5am4BL #
- Out 4 a night of hilarity @ an improv show w/ @amyrozko & Aubrey in DT @elginIL @ The Hemmens http://t.co/k9AosMuu #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Depersonalized and Taken Advantage Of http://t.co/A74lE5LT #FB #
- (cont.) the 3 measly shelves @ Barnes & Noble beg to differ. #
- To all those who still think Christianity is of broad cultural interest, the 3 shelves @ Barnes @ Barnes & Noble http://t.co/uN7lvH70 #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Does God Love Child Molestors? http://t.co/kKRwVo0J #FB #
- Gorgeous evening in downtown Elgin w/ the sounds of the train in the background http://t.co/eyJYXsND #
- Boom! 30+ emails just bit the dust. Now, if I can just inhibit any of these people from replying… #FB #
- What does the future of theo. edu. look like? Looking for your reflections & thoughts, http://t.co/QO0t6czw. Video & Paper available. #FB #
- Any final words inbox? #killerproductivity #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: I Think I Kinda Knew It…. http://t.co/qIitYTDH #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Picassa and Hello http://t.co/LrP06hEw #FB #
- from the lifeasmission archives: Is This Real Life? http://t.co/U1C9dW3O #FB #
- Every now & then I get doubled over by the pain in the world & a longing 4 the renewal of all things wells up. Now is 1 of those times. #FB #
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Recent Comments
- jrrozko on The Future of Theological Education: A Groundswell of Conversation
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- Fostering Creativity | Worth Wheeler on Blogging as a Spiritual Discipline
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tweets
- 4 personal & theological reasons I hope never to become someone that those I most hope 2 impact have 2 say, "I know you're busy, but.." #FB 5 hrs ago
- Costa Rican praberry coffee w/ a dollop of sweetened condensed milk. Get some! #FB 6 hrs ago
- Reading: "a missionary approach to a dechristianized society" & praying for friends like @MichaelRudzena & @JonTyson in places like NYC #FB 6 hrs ago
- from the lifeasmission archives: Why I'm Not Voting http://t.co/S12qmvpI #FB 8 hrs ago
- RT @samindecapolis: I don't really care about your title, position or credentials, I care about who your life imitates. // good words 23 hrs ago
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